Easiyo Cooking Competition

Check out our amazing Room 9 students who have entered the Easiyo Cooking Competition.
Follow this link and vote for our school: Vote for Aranui Primary School


Well done Mrs. Derrick and Room 9! Kehaulani & Shae... you are STARS!

BACK IN BUSINESS

We have had the structural checks completed. The GREAT news is that we have been cleared to return in to the buildings. The process from here is:

• Clear all liquefaction from the school site (to be started at 7:30am on Wednesday morning)
• Tidy all classrooms and work spaces
• Check over the site to ensure all hazards are isolated
• The teachers and support staff are returning tomorrow
• Students will return on Thursday. It will be a normal school day (we start at 9:00am and finish at 2:45pm)
• Parents are welcome to come to a short meeting at 9:00am in the Staffroom on Thursday
• We have toilets operating for Rooms 1, 2, 7, 9 and 10 students. Students in Rooms 4-6 must still use port-a-loos. We have our own supply of certified drinking water.
• We have running water. Students must wash hands and then use the hand sanitiser as well after toilet use and before eating

Students start on Thursday 16th June @ 9:00am

Update 14-06-2011

Well after yesterday... one thing is for certain. This is going to be the new NORMAL for many months to come. We were again very lucky that we sustained no injuries and all our students and staff were safe and sound. After the first initial quake we made the decision to close the school. It was felt there would be many aftershocks and we would be in and out of classrooms. This decision proved to be a good one. Thanks to all our community of parents who came as soon as they could to pick up their children. We hope you are all safe!

To update you on the current situation.

* We are awaiting the MOE guidelines about reopening.

* We have a property check today and will update you as soon as we know.

* If clearance is given, we will need a day to clean up the classrooms and prepare to re-open.

* All liquefaction has to be removed (this may take a day as well).

So, this means we may have teachers back on site tomorrow and the cleanup of the liquefaction on Tuesday/Wednesday. Hopefully we will be able to reopen on Thursday or Friday. Rest assured, we will do our very best.

The best part is our new sewerage system stood up well, we already have port-a-loos on site and clean drinking water. So we are better off than most schools!

You can call or txt me on my cell phone: 027 206 7602 or check this website for updates. I will make another posting by 7:00PM tonight (14th June).

Our Great Willowbank Trip

On Friday 1st April, we travelled to Willowbank for a 'day without walls'.

Here is a movie to show how much fun we had... thanks to some generous donations. We hope you enjoy it!

Aranui Primary School Centennial - Postponed to 2012

Due to the recent earthquake on 22nd Febrary 2011, we have made the decision to postpone the centennial celebration to 2012. This has not been an easy decision. However, the condition of the school infrastructure and grounds means we will not be at our best by November. 


The new date is yet to be decided. We will notify everyone ASAP... We hope you are all safe and well.


Some history...
In England during the 1840s the Canterbury Association was formed. Christchurch was to be the utopia of Anglicanism. Land was only to be sold to Anglicans creating a near perfect society. This soon changed because land wasn’t selling fast enough in the 1850s. Land was first sold at 3 pounds per acre. 1 pound for development and structure such as roads government etc, 1 pound for the cost of purchase and surveying etc and the other 1 pound for the church to build churches and schools. For a long time only churches operated schools. During the 1860s and 70s there were dozens of churches built in Canterbury. 

In 1908 St Faiths Anglican Church in New Brighton built a ‘Mission Church’ in Breezes Road just south of Carters Road. In 1911 the “Breezes Road School,’ also known as the Aranui School, begun in this building. The church at this time didn’t have involvement in the running of the school as the government by this time had control of most school education in New Zealand. 

1n 1913 the church building was relocated nearer to Pages Road behind the present ‘St Ambrose’ Church at 309 Breezes Road. It burnt down in the 1970s.

1n 1915 the Education Board had purchased land and built Aranui School’s first classroom on this permanent site. At different times when the districts population grew rapidly, the church was again used as a temporary classroom. At the school’s peak in 1960 not only was St Ambrose Church used for schooling, but so were Iona Presbyterian Church and the Aranui Hall.

It is fitting that the Sunday morning Church Service be held here at the church where our school began.

Handout for Parents - Information for Tuesday 22nd March

Flyer for Return to School - Monday 21st March

 

Freyberg High Palmerston North adopts Aranui Primary Christchurch

I found this on You Tube.... This is the high school that sent a large
amount of the food that was distributed from our school hall.

Connectedness in action...

We have been asked by Titirangi Primary School what help our school or our families need after the earthquake (we have a connection through one of their parents). Our school has survived pretty well structurally  as we did in the September quake. However, our infrastructure and grounds have taken a beating. Apart from that, we had some falling resource shelves and a few broken computers (all of which will be covered by insurance).


However some of our families have been hit pretty hard. Some who do not have contents insurance. Families are needing to replace contents from pantries (including storage containers) and crockery (plates, cups & glasses). Other needs are small household appliances such as kettles & toasters.


Titiragi Primary School have offered to fundraise funds towards our BIG DAY OUT later this term.  They may also be able to help some our families replace some of their contents. Thanks so much!

Changing landscapes...

There is a hive of activity today.. The landscape is changing by the hour!

New bark on the gardens...

Picnic tables outside Rooms 1 & 2 (another is outside Room 9)

Bricks removed from outside classes...(they were wobbly)

We are now the proud owners of a 50.000

litre sewerage tank. This will be plumbed 

into our school sewerage system 

(some have suggested this is the principal's new office)

Websites for student learning...

Good morning!

Below are some great educational sites for students to use. Some have been specifically designed for the schools who have not re-opened yet due to the 22nd February earthquake. Check them out... I had a play last night and think our students will like them!

• http://shakeupschool.wikispaces.com/
• http://shakeupschool.wikispaces.com/Literacy+Games 
• http://shakeupschool.wikispaces.com/Y5-6Writing+Programmes 
• http://shakeupschool.wikispaces.com/Y7-8Reading+Programmes 
• http://shakeupschool.wikispaces.com/Y7-8Writing+Programmes

Learning Hubs

Some primary and intermediate schools will not be able to reopen this week. Learning hubs have been set up to support education for children enrolled at these schools.
The Learning hubs will be open from 9am to about 3pm but hours may vary depending on a community’s circumstances. They will be set up in the halls of the following schools:

• Sockburn Primary School
• Addington Primary School
• Somerfield School
• Waltham Primary School
• Paparoa Street School
• Windsor School
• St Albans Primary School
• Mairehau Primary School 
• Cashmere Primary School

The hubs are managed by experienced and registered principals and teachers who will be providing learning materials, stationery and other educational resources.
Parents with children who are unable to attend their own school should take them to the closest school hub and provide registration details. Parents seeking more information can call the Ministry helpline on 0800 225 580

Providing Stability

Over the last one and a half weeks, our staff have been preparing to have students back to school. In conjunction with this we have been having the structural checks completed and any issues identified in this report fixed. I can report we are ready to go and are waiting for site issues to be resolved.

On a positive note, we have just had a 32,000 litre water tank delivered and this will be filled with clean drinking water. This means we have secure and safe drinking water for as long as we need it (Thanks to the team at the MOE!!!).

The BIG water tank arriving from RX Plastics in Ashburton (all good things come from Ashburton)

The BIG tank now in position behind Block 4

The one issue that is not yet resolved is sewerage. We have contractors on site at the moment and they are doing their very best (the problem is we need to made the No. 2s flow up hill)! The reality is that while we have desperately been trying to re-open this week (by Thursday as Friday is a Canterbury holiday because of the memorial service), the contractors are telling us this is not a quick fix. There are problems that need to be solved and we want to do this properly so that when we open...we open for good.

Proof they are here working....

Once the sewerage issues have been resolved, we just have to clean up the site and get the final clearance to open.

We therefore will reopen for the first day on Monday 21st March (10:45am - 12:30pm) for a community BBQ for parents and students. There will also be a small blessing ceremony at 10:45am  followed by an opportunity for students to get their bags and connect with their teachers.

We will then start full days of BUSINESS AS USUAL from Tuesday 22nd March. The school hours will be from 9:00am - 2:45pm.

 

Change of Contact Details

You can now notify us of your changing home address or phone numbers. Follow the link below, fill out the form and press send. We will update your records once we have received it.

https://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?hl=en_GB&authkey=CLOhmq8L&formkey=dEZWdWtLYXZVb09yNDA5T0ptaGlSZFE6MQ#gid=0

Re-Entry Plan and Teacher Only Day Organisation

Below is a link to the presentation for APS staff as we prepare for students to return to school and the measures we are taking to ensure their safety both physical and emotional.

https://docs.google.com/present/view?id=dfmq96qf_0df3c8mdz

Please feel free to view this presentation and provide feedback if there are issues that you may also want addressed.

Phone Issues

We have become aware that we are having problems with our phone lines. Telecom are our providers but we use the old Telstra Clear numbers. You can ring 388 8306 and this number will work (at present this number is now diverted the Hanka's cell phone - you will not be charged for this).


We hope to have this issue remedied as soon as possible. 
You can also call or text me on 027 206 7602.

Fisher & Paykel

When the 22nd February Earthquake struck, the Aranui community was badly hit. The Aranui Primaary School was used to provide food, water and clothes washing facilities to the the wider community of Aranui, Wainoni and Avondale. 


We want to thank Fisher & Paykel for being incredibly generous and providing the 8 washing machines and 4 refrigerators (for the food bank in the hall) for our community to use. When we called them, they immediately swung into action and have been incredibly supportive. 

Arrival of the washing machines

Setting up the machines on the verandah outside Rooms 7-10

Thanks Fisher & Paykel. 

You have really made a difference in our community!

Friday 11th March

Dear Parents and Caregivers

I hope you are all safe and well. I know many have had a challenging time and that it has certainly been difficult. The Aranui community sustained significant damage and I know we have families who have lost their homes. Our thoughts are with them as they begin to rebuild their lives. I hope that our school can provide the support and stability for the students as we try to bring some normalcy to our lives!

I can report that all our staff and their families are safe and well. Some have sustained major damage to homes too and our thoughts are with them as they deal with this and also prepare to return to support our children back to school. We met today and I am amazed by their resilience and strength. We are lucky to have such a great staff in these difficult times. They will be critical to the smooth transition and support as the students return.

This message is to update parents of the process we are taking to reopen the school after the 22^nd February earthquake. The school has been closed as directed by Civil Defence. This was in place until the end of last week. During this time we have had 3 site visits to ensure the safety of the buildings. I am pleased to say that all building have been declared safe as of today (Monday 7^th March) and we can now begin the process of cleaning up the inside of the buildings. Below are the measures we must have addressed before we can reopen (as set out by the MOE)

• Rooms tidied and furniture secured (including office spaces and resource areas)
• Provisions for constant water supply and access to drinking water
• Sewerage and hand sanitizing provisions
• Removal of liquefaction and sanitizing of school grounds
• Isolating any potential hazards
• Safety checks of playgrounds
• Preparation for the return of students

As you can see, this is an enormous task. The two biggest issues are of course the sewerage and access to water. As you will be aware these are issues throughout the Aranui area. Below is our intended time frame moving towards reopening. However, we are dependant on outside contractors who are in high demand. I will update this each day to let you know about the progress we are making.

Happening NOW (as of Friday 11^th March)

Criteria for Opening                         Status

School Cleanup (inside)                      Complete

Water supply to school                        Complete (today)

Sewage leaks fixed                              In progress

Preparation for students                       TOD held this Monday 14^th March

Clean up of school site                        As soon as sewerage leaks are fixed

Provisions for clean drinking water     Complete

Provisions for hand sanitising             Complete

Possible start date:                              Wednesday 16^th or Thursday 17^th March

                                                            11:00am for pick-up of bags and BBQ with teachers

(Friday 18^th March is a public holiday)

Supporting Learning at Home

We are conscious that parents and teachers alike want to see continuity of learning for children at this time. Put aside a regular time for your children to do some age appropriate reading, writing and spelling.  Encourage your children to keep a diary and to write about their experience during this time and send this work with your child back to school when school resumes.

Have a look at the following websites for learning activities:

www.spellingcity.com

www.mathletics.co.nz

The Ministry of Education website (www.minedu.govt.nz) also has information regarding supporting learning at times like these.

Help Lines

ChCh Earthquake Helpline 0800 225 580

Govt Helpline                      0800 779 917

Red Cross Inquiry line         0800 733 276

Education Welfare Recovery Email     well.being@minedu.govt.nz

(responses between 7am – 7 pm daily)